Monthly Archives: April 2015

Apr 30 2015

This Is Jazz Today: Oded Lev-Ari, Tore Brunborg, Samuel Blaser & more!

 

BitW square avatarGood god, this was an excellent week of new jazz releases.  There were any number of albums that could’ve been slotted as the Pick of the Week.  Just as telling, however, are the number of quality albums that didn’t get included on today’s list… albums that I’ll likely try to squeeze in either next week or in short stand-alone reviews.

It’s weeks like this that make all the hard work digging through the new release listings so worthwhile… so much music that’s so uplifting, each in their own way.

If you had a budget, just surrender it right now.  Take out a loan if you have to.  You need to have this music.

Let’s begin…

*** Pick of the Week ***

 

Oded Lev-Ari – Threading

Oded Lev-Ari - "Threading"On a week of many excellent new releases, the debut by pianist & composer Lev-Ari stands out from the crowd.  With his blend of jazz and classical, this large ensemble set of chamber jazz pieces hits any number of sweet spots.  He offers up ballads that sway with a sound of jazz from long long ago, extended pieces cut through with contemporary classical streaks and jazz improvisation, ebullient up-tempo pieces that sing the blues and moody, contemplative pieces that occupy a place all to themselves.  I’ll be writing much more about this excellent album in the very near future, but I don’t suggest waiting… just go buy this album right now.

Released on Anzic Records.  Visit the artist site.

More listening | Buy: Bandcamp – Amazon

*****

*** This week’s featured albums ***

 

Tore Brunborg – Slow Snow (ACT Music)

Tore Brunborg - "Slow Snow"A highly expressive, deeply melodic set from saxophonist/pianist Brunborg.  Two feet in modern territory with compositions that stray into indie-rock and the tasteful use of electronics (courtesy of both guitarist Eivind Aarset and drummer Per Oddvar Johansen). Fans of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio should definitely scoop this one up.

Artist site | Listen | Buy:  Amazon

*****

Bruno Raberg Quartet – Hot Box (Self-Produced)

Bruno Raberg - "Hot Box"Nifty modern straight-ahead session from bassist Bruno Raberg.  Compositions have plenty of drive, but the casual, almost off-the-cuff delivery is plenty appealing.  Mixing in some oddball pieces gives the more conventional tunes even greater definition.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – Bandcamp – CDBaby

*****

Samuel Blaser – Spring Rain (Whirlwind)

Samuel Blaser - "Spring Rain"Solid quartet session from trombonist Blaser, drummer Gerald Cleaver, pianist Russ Lossing and bassist Drew Gress.  Whether it’s modern post-bop, avant-garde free improv or chamber music, Blaser always brings an unconventional voice to the affair.  This is the kind of thing that leads to revealing, inspired moments… like on his newest recording.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

John Raymond – Foreign Territory (Fresh Sound New Talent)

John Raymond - "Foreign Territory"Solid straight-ahead recording from trumpeter Raymond, backed with an excellent line-up of pianist Dan Tepfer, bassist Joe Martin and drummer Billy Hart.  Plenty enjoyable when the quartet picks up the pace and increases the flame, but the album really shines when they imitate the grace of flickering candlelight.  Give a listen to “Chant” to get a sense of the album’s heartbeat.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Amazon

*****

Kevin Hays – New Day (Sunnyside)

Kevin Hays - "New Day"Seriously personable release from vocalist-pianist Hays.  A real folksy charm to this electro-acoustic soul jazz session.  Melodies as welcoming as the morning sun, rhythms with a most delightful conversational delivery, and the kind of friendly music that broach serious subjects and still make everything okay.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: Bandcamp – eMusic – Amazon

*****

Manuel Valera Trio – Live at Firehouse 12 (Self-Produced)

Manuel Valera - "Live at Firehouse 12"Wonderful live set from the trio of pianist Valera, bassist Hans Glawischnig and drummer EJ Strickland.  Plenty evocative, with an inherent moodiness in each piece counterbalanced nicely by a lively rhythmic approach.  Sounds like one of those performances where everything comes together at exactly the right moment.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – CDBaby – Amazon

*****

Keith Kelly Ask Not – A Grand Apparatus, Discarded (Edgetone)

Keith Kelly - "A Grand Apparatus"Saxophonist Kelly leads a quartet through a high voltage set of jazz-rock fusion.  Nifty how an undercurrent of melodicism rises to the surface before again submerging below the crazed intensity.  A sharp intelligence to this furious music.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – Bandcamp – Amazon

*****

ZetZum Zorglub – ZetZum Zorglub (PG Sounds)

Zetzum Zorglub - "Zetzum Zorglub"Guitarist Buster Jensen’s mix of post-rock, Nordic Jazz and ambient minimalism is pretty damn captivating.  Electric distortion is balanced by contemplative piano phrasings, warm infusions of saxophone harmonies, and a careful attention to how one moment flows into the next.  A strange beauty to this one.

Artist site | Listen | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Jakob Kühnemann Quartett – Contrejour (Unit Records)

Jakob Kuhnemann - "Contrejour"A nice easy-going lyricism to bassist Kuhnemann’s quartet session.  Music stays light on its feet, sometimes flirts with simply drifting away like a dream.  The subtleties and nuance resonate strongly, and shifts this music away from getting to be simply another straight-forward session.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Antonio Sanchez – Three Times Three (CamJazz)

Antonio Sanchez - "Three Times Three"Wow, outstanding set from drummer Sanchez, who offers up three tunes each with three different trios.  With Brad Meldau & Matt Brewer, it’s deep melodicism.  With John Scofield & Christian McBride, it’s sharp precision.  And with Joe Lovano & John Patitucci, it’s effusive blues.  Go buy this right now.

Artist site | Buy:  Amazon

*****

Martin Auer Quintett – Our Kind Of… (Laika)

Martin Auer - "Our Kind Of"Trumpeter Auer’s quintet gives an intriguing take on the compositions of Kind of Blue.  Nothing straight-forward about the music, as the modern European sound gives a dreamy effect to familiar tunes.  Delightful how the melody sometimes pokes out its head and reveals itself.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Jean Kapsa, Antoine Reininger & Maxime Fleau – La Ligne de Kármán (Mélisse)

Jean Kapsa - "La Ligne de Karman"Modern piano trio session that swims in the deep end of the melodies.  A sense of constant forward motion helps stretch the melodic development out to soaring heights and lets their final notes linger.  Piano, bass and drums all have plenty to contribute to the conversation.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Julian Arguelles – Let It Be Told (Basho)

Julian Arguelles - "Let It Be Told"Saxophonist Arguelles’s arrangements of South African music is effusive and warm, and cheery melodies ride the whitecaps of rolling rhythms.  The Frankfurt Radio Big Band provides a fat sound that could fill any room, but when they grow contemplative, like on the Mongezi Feza composition “You Ain’t Gonna Know Me (Cos’ You Think You Know Me), the music resonates with a remarkable strength.  A likable recording that grows more likable with familiarity.

Artist site | Buy: eMusic – Amazon

*****

Nicole – Raizes/Roots (Soundbrush)

Nicole - "Raizes-Roots"A bubbling personality to this recording that snaps together Judaic songs and Brazilian music.  Vocalist Nicole lends a casual ease to the tunes that’s rather charming.  The chatter from guitars, accordion and percussion is all kinds of friendly.

Artist site | Buy:  Amazon

*****

Triologos – Tracce di Canti (SLAM Productions)

Triologos - "Tracce di Canti"Interesting avant-garde session from this trio of saxophone, percussion and double bass.  Melodies are often frayed and warped and run from the sunlight, while the rhythms play a game of hopscotch that abides by its own rules of physics.  Strange music.

No artist site | Buy:  eMusic – Amazon

*****

 

Have a great time digging through the list!

And remember, it’s simple:  You like what you like.

Cheers.

***

By • Jazz Recommendations • 0

Apr 29 2015

Recommended: Vincent Courtois – “Mediums”

 

The 2012 recording from cellist Vincent Courtois is struck through with vivid imagery.  Joined by frequent collaborators Daniel Erdmann and Robin Fincker, the pairing of their twin tenor saxophones and the cello of Courtois has the heart of a storyteller and the delivery of a filmmaker.  The tale of Mediums is told with a pastiche of visions and ambiance.

The thick bank of harmonies on “Mounting” sets the scene with a stark beauty.  The sprouting lines of melody on title-track “Mediums” is cut through with bisecting lines from cello, crosshatching effusive articulations with a scathing rebuttal.

The dissonant flutter & shriek of “Entresort” is balanced out by the alarming unease of “Une inquiétante disparition (part 1),” which calms itself by whistling a comforting melody, aided further by the soothing whisper of “Regards.”

The dust storm of “Jackson’s Catch” whips the melody about everywhere… an effect not unlike the competing conversations of “Une inquiétante disparition (part 2)” and how the overlapping lines of dialog create a cryptic, foreboding verse.

“Rita and the Mediums” begins disjointedly, but gradually gains momentum and cohesion, rising up like the sun over the horizon.  This is bolstered by “La Femme Sans Corps” with its languid motion and off-the-cuff melodic delivery.  It’s the deep quiet of the dead of night and the disquieting sounds that call out from the darkness.

The three-part “Bengal” suite goes about tangling the melody into a tight ball.  Sometimes, when it reaches a confluence, the song emits the prettiest of sounds.  The sweet sigh of “La Nuit des Monstres” takes that result to a greater extreme.

The album ends with “The Removal,” a tune that bobs peacefully on the surface of the water… its cadence hypnotic, its melody strangely alluring, and its note of finality immensely satisfying and one that aptly encapsulates this enchanting album

Your album personnel:  Vincent Courtois (cello), Daniel Erdmann (tenor sax) and Robin Fincker (tenor sax).

Released in 2012 on La Buissonne.

Listen at Bandcamp.  Explore the artist on Soundcloud.

Music from Paris, France.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2012 Releases • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Apr 28 2015

Recommended: Vincent Courtois – “West”

 

Vincent Courtois - "West"West is an absolutely captivating chamber jazz session from cellist Vincent Courtois, and it joins an impressive collection of similar projects released over the years, each of them enchanting in their own way.

On his newest, he’s joined by frequent collaborators, saxophonist Daniel Erdmann and multi-reedist Robin Fincker, as well as pianist Benjamin Moussay.  Interspersed throughout are solo cello pieces, and the shift between an austere beauty and the subtle, yet dynamic textures of the collaborative pieces creates an ebb and flow that is positively magnetic.

The slow harmonic build of “So Much Water So Close To Home” is matched beautifully with a quivering melody.  The gentle raindrops of “1852 Metres Plus Tard” is a slow reveal of sharp flashes of lightning.  “Modalites” is a gripping crosshatch of layers and permutations of repetition.  “Nowhere” is cold moonlight and “L’intuition” is the lonely soul staring up at it.  “West” soars & gallops simultaneously while “Freaks” is an old soul strolling slow.

The frantic march of “Tim au Nohic” dials it down for “Désarçonné” without sacrificing a bit of its fervor.  When it dials it back up for “Semaphore,” the flow of the transitions is as natural as water wending its way between rocks in a stream.

Some of the tunes hit a solemn Sunday morning jazz while others veer off into classical and ambient territory more akin to a Steve Reich or Brian Eno.  This is peaceful music that flashes some sharp teeth from time to time… and ultimately winds up being a massively sublime affair.  The album ends with a reprise of “1852 Metres Plus Tard,” and emphasizes exactly that last point.

Your album personnel:  Vincent Courtois (cello, guide chant), Daniel Erdmann (tenor sax), Robin Fincker (clarinet, tenor sax) and Benjamin Moussay (piano, harpsichord, celesta, toy piano).

Released on La Buissonne.

Listen on Bandcamp.  Explore the artist on Soundcloud.

Music from France.

Available at:  Bandcamp | eMusic | Amazon

By • Beyond Jazz Reviews, Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2015 Releases • 0 • Tags: , , ,

Apr 27 2015

Recommended: Sean Jones – “Im*pro*vise: Never Before Seen”

 

Sean Jones - "Improvise"One of the final cuts before finalizing the Bird is the Worm Best of 2014 list was Im*pro*vise: Never Before Seen, a quartet session from trumpeter Sean Jones.  This is top shelf jazz, and it’s an excellent vintage.  This is jazz that everyone will recognize.  It’s music that swings.  It’s music steeped in the blues.  It’s music that carries the torch of the past even when it burns with a flame lit today.  It’s a fastball right over the plate and there’s no mistaking this music for anything else other than jazz.

“Dark Times” is a slow blues, smokey and cool, sounding reminiscent of Donald Byrd’s 1968 hard bop recording, Slow Drag.  Pianist Orrin Evans kicks up some dirt, which Jones complements with some sharp bursts on trumpet, and the brief flurry of dissonance brings even greater clarity to the quartet’s serious groove.  The quartet’s talent at the manipulation of motion becomes even more evident on “Interior Motive.”  Drummer Obed Calvaire instigates a choppy tempo that practically glides when it breaks from the dense forest and out into the clearing.

With “The Morning After” and “We’ll Meet Under the Stars,” Jones shows his talent at shepherding a ballad along nice and easy.  Of particular interest is the former track, pure moonlight, which grows into a dramatic call into the night.

Jones’s trumpet is all sunny cheer on “I.D.G.A.D Blues,” but it’s the walking cadence of bassist Luques Curtis that starts the song out with a smile.  Similarly, Curtis gets “Dr. Jekyll” scooting right along, and the interconnectivity of tempo between bass, piano and drums is terrifically engaging, and lays down a framework for Jones to offer up some thrilling moments.

And it’s an album filled with many more.

Your album personnel:  Sean Jones (trumpet), Orrin Evans (piano), Luques Curtis (bass) and Obed Calvaire (drums).

Released on Mack Avenue Records.

Jazz from the Pittsburgh scene.

Available at:  Amazon

 

By • Jazz Recommendations, Jazz Recommendations - 2014 Releases • 0

Apr 26 2015

These are videos that I like: Theo Jackson – “Footprints”

 

Theo Jackson - "Shoeless and the Girl"Today’s featured video is from pianist-vocalist Theo Jackson, performing the Wayne Shorter tune “Footprints,” which appears on Jackson’s new release Shoeless & the Girl.

Shoeless & the Girl was one of the recommendations on this week’s This Is Jazz Today column (LINK).  Go check it out.  It’s one of several good albums released in the past week.

Now, here’s that video…

Your video personnel:  Theo Jackson (piano, vocals), Jay Phelps (trumpet), Huntly Gordon (double bass) and Shane Forbes (drums).

 

Video by Crooked House Films.

Have a great, lazy Sunday!

Cheers.

 

By • These are videos that I like • 1

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